Journey to Kamargo
by Soultra
Summary: I originally wrote this story a long time ago, so it's actually my first Gummi Bears story. This story is set in the future of the Gummi Bear timeline in which Cubbi goes on a journey and meets up with a myserious Gummi named Jenna. Please R


**Journey to Kamargo**
    
         "I hope this is the right way," Cubbi Gummi muttered as he made his way
    
    through the forest,  trying to avoid the briars and the branches.  According
    
    to the map, he was going the right way and, after all, not just any wanderer
    
    was supposed to be able to find this path, so it made sense that it was
    
    overgrown and unruly.  Still, it would be nice if it was just a little
    
    easier to navigate.  He focused on his destination, hoping that would help
    
    his feet to move a little faster, but, instead he came to a dead stop as he
    
    wondered, for the millionth tim,e if he was doing the right thing.
    
         Many years ago, what seemed to Cubbi as a lifetime ago, a gummi had
    
    traveled to Gummi Glen.  Upon finding there was only six gummies (Gusto
    
    would not be around until later), he decided to travel on to the Great
    
    Gummies.  This traveler, who was named Chummi, had explained that he, like
    
    Cubbi, had been the youngest gummi in his group and he had ended up being
    
    alone because of it.  Chummi had offered to take Cubbi with him and Cubbi
    
    almost went.  In fact, they had traveled to the ocean before Cubbi had
    
    changed his mind and stayed.  Still, what Chummi had said about being the
    
    youngest and eventually being alone stuck in Cubbi's mind.
    
         Outwardly, he dismissed it.  Sunni was just a little bit older than he
    
    was, so he didn't really think that he would end up the way Chummi had. 
    
    Besides, once the glen was safe, the Great Gummies could return. He
    
    convinced himself, on one level of consciousness, that he had nothing to
    
    worry about.  Of course now, it was no longer a worry.  It was a reality.
    
         In the years that followed, Cubbi grew older and stronger as he
    
    helplessly watched Zummi and Grammi grow weaker.  Eventually, Grammi lost a
    
    battle with pneumonia and Zummi passed on shortly later.  It was a hard time
    
    on them all.  Sunni tried to take on Grammi's jobs of cleaning and cooking. 
    
    All of them tried to make things as it had been before, but it was a
    
    fruitless quest.  Then, Sunni caught a strange virus from Dunwyn.  The day
    
    she died, the world began to grow a bit darker for the rest of them. 
    
         Through sickness and accidents, more deaths followed until, one
    
    morning, Cubbi awoke in the glen and said, "I am alone," and the emptiness
    
    around him echoed his statement.  His worst fear had come true and no one
    
    was even around to comfort him. Cavin and Calla were still around and would
    
    have listened, if they had the time.  Since King Gregor's death, Calla was
    
    ruling the kingdom as the Queen.  In a unorthodox, but unsurprising move,
    
    she had married Cavin and together they worked to keep Dunwyn in order. 
    
    Cavin was still Cubbi's best friend, but was just too busy anymore to visit
    
    Gummi Glen very often or talk to Cubbi if he visited.  Even when she wasn't
    
    busy, Calla had never visited the glen since Sunni's death. Cubbi knew she
    
    still mourned her friend's death.
    
         Cubbi had walked the empty hallways for many nights as he wondered what
    
    he should do next.  He wanted to leave, but it wasn't that easy.  Alone or
    
    not, it was still his responsibility to guard the glen and the Great Book. 
    
    Besides, Duke Igthorn was no longer a threat, but had raised two children, a
    
    boy and a girl, who were carrying on his schemes.  No one knew exactly if
    
    Igthorn had kidnapped the children or if they were orphans, but the results
    
    were the same.  The girl in particular had grown up to be almost exactly
    
    like her 'father'.  She called herself Duchess Emilia Igthorn, although she
    
    actually held no rank.  Her brother, Marcus, was not nearly as cruel as his
    
    sister, but his plans were more intricate and intelligent that Duke
    
    Igthorn's had ever been.  
    
         Lady Bane was still around, thanks to countless spells she used as a
    
    fountain of youth.  In fact, she hadn't really changed much at all in
    
    physical appearance.  She still longed for the Great Book and all of its
    
    magical secrets.  She wasn't giving up soon, but Cubbi knew that no matter
    
    how great of a sorceress she was, she would never be immortal, so it was
    
    merely a matter of waiting her out. 
    
         Yet, there were just so many ghosts here, he was beginning to feel like
    
    a ghost himself.  Then, one day why he was straightening up Zummi's library,
    
    a piece of paper fell out of a book.  He picked it up and was surprised to
    
    find it was a map leading to the Great Gummies.  He had known approximately
    
    where they were at, but now he knew exactly. After thinking long and hard,
    
    he finally came to a decision: he would leave this place and all its ghosts,
    
    but he would take the Great Book with him so it wouldn't be left unguarded. 
    
    With his mind made up, he set his plan into motion.  First, he built a ship
    
    using some preliminary plans that Tummi had used to make the boat he had
    
    built once, but expounding on the original design to make it a bit larger. 
    
    He didn't want to make it too large, because he couldn't afford being
    
    spotted, and the original had made it across the ocean.  Finally he packed
    
    up a small portion of his belongings and the Great Book into a small
    
    knapsack he would wear on his back. Both Cavin and Calla had met him by the
    
    shore, despite their busy life, to say good-bye.  Cubbi waved to them as he
    
    sailed away, wondering if he would ever see them again and realizing he
    
    probably would not.
    
          He had followed the map, once he reached land, and that's what had
    
    brought him to this overgrown part of the forest, which seemed to be more of
    
    a jungle.  He was just beginning to think he must have misread the directions
    
    on the map when he came to a clearing. He pushed a branch aside and looked
    
    around.
    
         Immediately, he was struck by the beauty of the area.  In contrast to
    
    the forest he had just traveled through, which was severely overgrown, the
    
    clearing appeared to be well kept.  There was a gently rolling knoll covered
    
    with grass that appeared to be as rich and luxurious and green velvet,
    
    dotted with various colored wildflowers.  An ancient tree with thick
    
    spreading branches, like loving arms protecting the earth beneath, grew at
    
    the top of the knoll.  Beneath the tree, a small stream trickled past,
    
    sliding past stones that were worn smooth long ago.  At one point the stream
    
    deepened and widened to form a small pool were tiny minnows gliding
    
    effortlessly, their tiny, silver bodies gleaming in the sun. It was by this
    
    pool that a gummi was sitting.
    
         She looked as lovely and natural as any part of the landscape, dipping
    
    her foot into the pool and slowing moving it around to create small ripples.
    
    Her fur was a soft silvery gray color and her hair, which hung down to her
    
    waist, was only a shade darker.  She wore a simple, light blue dress and
    
    seemed to be so at peace that Cubbi found himself staring at her.  He
    
    stepped forward to get a closer view, but tripped over a small rock and fell
    
    into the clearing. Great way to make an entrance, Cubbi thought, angry with
    
    himself.
    
         In response, the gummi immediately jumped to her feet and looked,
    
    fearfully, toward the source of the noise.
    
         "Sorry," Cubbi mumbled, "I guess I tripped." He stood up, and dusted
    
    himself off, still a bit embarrassed.
    
         Her face relaxed a bit, but it was still hard to read her emotion. 
    
    "That's okay," she responded in a soft voice.
    
         Cubbi walked into the clearing, and was surprised to see his
    
    destination just below him.  He had finally made it! He couldn't help but
    
    breathe a sigh of relief as he turned back to the girl, who was still
    
    staring at him.  Cubbi couldn't help but wonder why she looked so guilty. 
    
    He took a few steps toward her.
    
          "Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier," he said,  "my name's
    
    Cubbi."
    
         She looked at him for a moment, as if she didn't understand what he had
    
    said.  "I'm Jenna," she finally replied, softly.
    
         "Jenna," he repeated. He pointed to the Gummi city below, "Are you from
    
    there?"
    
         She looked to where he was pointing as if unaware of her location,
    
    "No." she replied.
    
         "No?" he echoed, his surprise turning it into a question.
    
         "No," she repeated, "I'm a nomadic gummi."
    
         For a moment, Cubbi couldn't think of what to say.  He had heard of
    
    nomadic gummies before in stories, but he didn't think there were still
    
    around.  However, Jenna seemed to a contradiction to this belief.
    
         "I don't really come from a city," she said, offering the information
    
    voluntarily for the first time, "I'm just traveling through here."
    
         "Where are you going?" Cubbi asked, hoping he didn't sound too nosy.
    
         "Kamargo," she answered.
    
         "I've never heard of Kamargo before."
    
         "It's an ancient city north of here," Jenna explained slowly, as if
    
    speaking to someone much younger, "All of the world's magic is supposed to
    
    have been born there."
    
         "Interesting, but why do you want to go there?" he questioned.
    
         "I'm searching for answers," she replied, simply.
    
         It was obvious she didn't want to say anymore, so he decided to drop
    
    the subject.  He once again began to admire his surroundings.  "This sure is
    
    a beautiful place," Cubbi declared.
    
         "Yes," she agreed, "I found this place yesterday and I just had to stay
    
    for a while.  It really is quite lovely.
    
         "I would like to go with you," he stated, suddenly changing the
    
    subject.
    
         "What?" she asked, surprised.
    
         "I really don't have any place to go," he admitted, "That's why I was
    
    traveling. I would really would like to travel with you.
    
         "But, it might be dangerous," she insisted, "maybe even deadly."
    
         "I don't really care about that," he said, "but I would like to go, if
    
    you would allow me to."
    
         She dropped her eyes and Cubbi fully expected for her to say he was not
    
    welcome.  "Okay," she said, raising her eyes to look at him, "You can travel
    
    with me, but only 'til we get to Kamargo.  My business there is personal."
    
         "Fair enough," he agreed.
    
         She reached behind a tree and pulled out a small patchwork back, which
    
    she slung over shoulder.  "It's best to go this way," she said, pointing to
    
    a path that led to another part of the forest and away from the city below.
    
         Cubbi took one final look at his original destination before nodding
    
    and following her down the path.  His journey had begun.
    
    **********************************
    
         As they walked through the forest, in silence, Cubbi began to question
    
    why he had really wanted to come.  It was true what he had told her about
    
    having no place to go, but he was so close to finally seeing the Great
    
    Gummies.  Then, when he finally got close enough to see the city, he decides
    
    to travel to some place called Kamargo with a strange gummi whom he knew
    
    almost nothing about.  She had almost refused to reveal anything about
    
    herself, yet, here he was, tagging right along with her.
    
         He really didn't have to search deeply to find the answer.  He had
    
    known all along why he had wanted to come along.  From the moment he saw he,
    
    he could see the loneliness he felt inside reflected in her eyes. It was
    
    peculiar, but he couldn't describe it as anything but a bond of common
    
    feelings.  He felt that deep down, they understood one another.  Now, if
    
    only she talk about herself.
    
         The silence continued, only broken by the sounds of the animals in the
    
    forest.  Cubbi decided it was up to him to start the conversation because it
    
    was becoming obvious Jenna wasn't a big talker.  "I've heard about nomadic
    
    gummies before," Cubbi began, "But I still thought you traveled in groups."
    
         She turned around to look at him in surprise, and nearly tripped over a
    
    root. "I used to be part of a small clan," she said, when she had regained
    
    her balance, "but things happened.  I'm the only one left."
    
         "I understand how you feel," Cubbi replied.
    
         "You do?" she asked, not chancing to look back again.
    
         "Yeah," Cubbi said, "I used to live at Gummi Glen.  There was a small
    
    group of us there and I was the youngest...." To his surprise he told her
    
    the entire story, including each of their deaths. He never would have
    
    dreamed he would have told someone whom he knew so little about, so much
    
    about himself.
    
         "That's so sad," Jenna sympathized when he had completed his story, "Is
    
    that why you said that you really had no place to go?"
    
         "Yes, it is," Cubbi admitted, "The glen was so haunted, and I was
    
    beginning to feel like a ghost myself.  Is that what happened to you?"
    
         "Similar," she stated, not willing to elaborate, "But why did you want
    
    to come with me instead of going on to the Great Gummies?"
    
         Because I saw the same loneliness I've been feeling reflected in your
    
    lovely eyes Cubbi wanted to say, but didn't.  "I always wanted to find
    
    adventure, and the trip here was kind of dull," he replied.  It wasn't
    
    exactly the truth, but it wasn't a lie, not entirely.
    
         "Oh," she responded, sounded somewhat disappointed.  Cubbi hoped he
    
    hadn't hurt her feelings, so he decided to keep the conversation going.
    
         "So why Kamargo?" he asked, "Why do you think you'll find answers
    
    there, if I may ask?"
    
         Silence followed for several minutes before she finally answered.  "Our
    
    small group of gummies had a leader at one time.  He said he had to lead us
    
    to an ancient city, but I'm not sure of the whole story.  When he died, I
    
    found a map to Kamargo in his pocket and I realized that's where he had been
    
    leading us, so I decided that I should go and maybe find out why we were
    
    heading there in the first place."
    
         Her explanation was the most she had said at one time so, when she
    
    became silent once more, Cubbi didn't push for any more answers.  They spoke
    
    few words as they traveled the rest of that day and the times they did speak
    
    it was along the lines of  "look out for that branch" or something similar. 
    
    They continued until the sun slowly began to sink from view and the sky was
    
    covered in its starry blanket.
    
         They choose a grassy spot near a small pond to spend the night, since
    
    there were no signs of rain and it was comfortably warm.  Jenna fell asleep
    
    almost as soon as her eyes were closed, but Cubbi, who had chosen a spot
    
    about six feet away, remained awake, staring up into the sky.  He wondered
    
    why Jenna was so secretive and how he could help her open up.  Just wait he
    
    heard a voice softly say Sometimes someone has to figure it out for
    
    themselves before they can talk to you about it. Cubbi smiled, remembering
    
    those were Grammi's words.  
    
         He didn't remember the entire incident, but Cavin had been upset, yet
    
    every time Cubbi had tried to talk to him, Cavin refused to explain what was
    
    going on.  Cubbi had gone to Grammi, telling her what was happening, when
    
    she advised him to just give Cavin time.  "But, Grammi," he had said, "He's
    
    my best friend, and he won't even talk to me."  That's when Grammi had given
    
    him those words of wisdom.  "Just wait," she had advised, "Sometimes someone
    
    has to figure it out for themselves before they can talk to you about it." 
    
    Cubbi had reluctantly taken Grammi's advice and had realized she was right. 
    
    Later, Cavin apologized for the way he had been acting and explained to
    
    Cubbi the situation that had him so upset.  Cubbi couldn't even remember
    
    what it was that had Cavin so upset anymore, but Grammi's words remained
    
    with him.
    
         Jenna cried out softly in her sleep and Cubbi turned to look in her
    
    direction.  The moonlight illuminated her sleeping figure, making her appear
    
    to be an angel who had lost her way.  She cried again, and moved her hands
    
    like she was trying to push something away.  She's having a nightmare, Cubbi
    
    thought.  All at once, a wave of pity washed over him.  At times, he grew
    
    aggravated at Jenna's silence, but now he only wanted to hold her and
    
    convince her that everything was all right.  Yeah, he thought, just depend
    
    of big, brave Cubbi, the defender of 'damsels in distress'.  The thought
    
    sounded so corny, he almost laughed aloud. Still, as he watched her fight
    
    off her night demons, he wished that he could close the gulf between them
    
    that stretched on past the six feet that physically separated them.  It
    
    stretched for miles and miles.  Finally, Jenna seem to relax and drift
    
    deeper into sleep. 
    
         "Good night, Jenna," he whispered softly, as he closed his eyes.  Yet,
    
    a final thought drifted through his mind as he fell asleep: I wonder if we
    
    are both lost and searching or if we both are just running.
    
    ***************************************
    
         Sunrise came all too early for Cubbi. Yet, when he opened his eyes and
    
    looked around, Jenna was nowhere to be found.  For a second, still somewhat
    
    sleepy, he wondered if he had just dreamed their entire thing.  Then, he
    
    realized, he wouldn't be in this unknown place if he hadn't been with Jenna. 
    
    "Jenna," he called out softly, "Where are you?"
    
         "I'm right here," she answered from behind him.  He turned and realized
    
    that she had been up for some time.  In her arms she carried some
    
    fresh-picked berries, their breakfast no doubt.  She had also pulled her
    
    hair back in a long braid that hung down her back.  It was a pretty style
    
    for her, especially since several strands had already pulled loose from the
    
    braid and were now curled about, framing her face.  "I thought you might be
    
    hungry," she said.
    
         "Thanks," he replied, as she brought the berries over to him.  He ate
    
    slowly, as did she, both occupied by their own thoughts.  Finally, he
    
    decided to ask her about the nightmare that had haunted her sleep during the
    
    night.
    
         "You must of had some nightmare last night," he begin, "You were acting
    
    like you were trying to fight something off."
    
         "I don't remember having any nightmares," she said, "I slept fine.  How
    
    did you sleep?"
    
         "Fine," he replied.
    
         "Any nightmares?" she asked, somewhat sarcastically.
    
         "I don't have dreams," Cubbi responded.
    
        "You don't have dreams?" she questioned, the sarcasm gone and replaced
    
    with curiosity.
    
         "None that I know of," he answered, "I haven't had any dreams for
    
    years."
    
         They continued to eat in silence.  Finally, Jenna picked up her bag, as
    
    if ready to leave.
    
          "Wait," Cubbi said, "I was just wondering; how much farther is it to
    
    Kamargo?"
    
         "Well," she responded, pulling out a map from her bag and straightening
    
    it on the ground, "If I'm correct it should only be 2 to 3 more days."
    
         "That's all?" Cubbi asked, disappointed.
    
         "Yeah," she replied, "not too much farther to go."  She placed the map
    
    back into her bag. "You ready?"
    
         "Sure," he said, as he fell into step behind her.  He walked with less
    
    enthusiasm than before.  Some adventure, he thought, it was an entire 3,
    
    maybe 4 days long, counting their first day of traveling together.  At least
    
    it won't take me too long to travel back to the Great Gummies.  Yet, as he
    
    looked at Jenna walking ahead of him, he knew that every step of the journey
    
    so far had been worth it. He hoped that when she got her business taken care
    
    of, she might come back with him and give up being a nomad.  It was no fun
    
    being alone, and that's something he knew from personal experience.
    
         He followed her as they journeyed into a grossly overgrown forest,
    
    similar the one Cubbi had fought through on his way to the Great Gummies,
    
    only this place was worse.  It was rather spooky, even to Cubbi who didn't
    
    frighten easy.  "Why are we going this way?" he asked Jenna, "Isn't there
    
    away around this mess?" Just as he finished his question, he tripped and
    
    landed in a mud puddle.  Jenna came back and helped him back to his feet.
    
    Makes twice I'm tripped over something in front of her, Cubbi thought, she's
    
    going to think I'm a real klutz.
    
         "The only other alternative is to go through a town," Jenna explained,
    
    "This is safer.  Besides, we're not very likely to accidentally meet up with
    
    any travelers going this way."
    
         "I can understand why," Cubbi grumbled, but was thankful that Jenna was
    
    so resourceful.  
    
         Another day passed, this one much slower than the previous one and both
    
    gummies said at the base of an old gnarled tree, exhausted and sore.  "I
    
    hope we didn't lose too much time try to make it through this forest." Jenna
    
    said.
    
         "I hope we don't have to travel through many more places like this,"
    
    Cubbi complained and he leaned back against the tree.
    
         "Night's setting in fast," Jenna said, eyeing the sky, "We should try
    
    to get some sleep."
    
         Cubbi nodded, and was asleep this time before Jenna had even a chance
    
    to get comfortable leaning against the other side of the tree.
    
         ***********************************
    
         Cubbi had lied to Jenna, but not intentionally, when he said he didn't
    
    dream.  The truth was that Cubbi dreamed every night but had carefully
    
    practiced to never remember dreaming.  In fact, he had been unable to
    
    remember any dream for a long time.  It was just easier that way.  Yet, that
    
    night he had a dream that he was sure he would never forget.
    
         In the dream, he was back at Gummi Glen, but it looked different then
    
    when he left.  Roots grew up through the floor, the ceiling had caved in
    
    places, and all their furniture lay in pieces.  He wondered through the
    
    rooms, navigating around the damage as best he could until he heard a soft
    
    noise behind him.
    
         There the others, his friends stood, staring solemnly at him, yet it
    
    wasn't really them.  He could see directly through their bodies at the wall
    
    behind and their eyes were no more then black holes that looked at him.  He
    
    couldn't think of anything to say or do.  He just stood there looking.
    
         "You left us," they said together, seemingly in one voice, "And you
    
    left your responsibilities."
    
         "I had to go," he replied, "I couldn't stay here."
    
         "It was your responsibility," they insisted.
    
         "But I'm alive," Cubbi cried, desperately, "And you're dead.  Among the
    
    dead is no place for someone who's still living."
    
         "Cubbi," said a voice nearby and he turned to see Sunni was now
    
    standing next to him.  She touched his arm with her hand, which felt
    
    surprisingly solid. "Cubbi," she repeated.
    
         Cubbi's eyes jerked open and the ghostly face of Sunni was replaced
    
    with Jenna's.  Even in the darkness he could see the fear in her face. 
    
    "Cubbi," she whispered, "We have to go."
    
         "What?" he asked, still somewhat disorientated from the dream.
    
         "Sshh, just follow me.  You have to be quiet." she whispered, taking
    
    him by the arm and leading him into the forest.  Silently, the made their
    
    way to a small stream, where Jenna stepped into the running water. 
    
    Confused, Cubbi did the same and they continued once more.  Finally, they
    
    came to a tree with branches that hung low over the stream.  Jenna tried to
    
    reach one of the branches, but she wasn't tall enough.  Cubbi pulled the
    
    branch down a bit and Jenna climbed on to it as well as Cubbi.  Quickly,
    
    they climbed high up into the tree and hid behind some leaves on a branch. 
    
    Cubbi had no idea what was going on, but Jenna was frightened about
    
    something, so he decided to wait.  In the meantime, he admired the
    
    peacefulness of the night.  The frogs and the crickets were joining in
    
    together to serenade the moon which hung overhead.  No breeze was stirring,
    
    but there were the quiet sounds of the night animals searching for prey and
    
    trying to avoid becoming prey themselves.  Everything was as it should be.
    
         All at once the peace was shattered as two peculiar creatures burst
    
    into the clearing.  The ragged moon shed little light as to exactly what the
    
    two creatures were, but from Cubbi could discern, it wasn't good.  They were
    
    about 3 feet tall and even a lot longer than in length.  Every inch from
    
    their flaring snouts to their spiked tails seemed to be covered in scales. 
    
    The only thing that they even remotely resembled was small dragons, except
    
    they walked and moved more like some sort of canine.  Even from their perch
    
    in the tree, Cubbi could heard the ragged sounds of their breathing.  
    
         Behind the scaly creatures, two figures moved slowly in the moonlight. 
    
    The first was made similar to a human, except that she, like the two
    
    creatures, seemed to be covered in scales and had a reptilian-like tail. 
    
    She was dressed like a warrior with high boots and a long cape.  A sheathed
    
    sword hung by her side, against her thigh.  The second appeared to be human,
    
    but it was impossible to tell for she was dressed in a long robe, which hid
    
    most of her features.  The robe was white with strange scale-like patterns
    
    along the hood and tail.  It hung so long, hiding its wearer's feet, making
    
    it appear that she was gliding rather then walking.
    
         Jenna moved over a bit closer to Cubbi and he could feel she was
    
    trembling.  Silently, he put his arm protectively around her as they watched
    
    the individuals walk below them and deeper into the forest until they
    
    disappeared.  Still Cubbi could feel Jenna trembling and knew they would not
    
    sleep anymore this night. Yet, neither of them dared to speak.  Cubbi wanted
    
    answers, but he would wait for morning.
    
    **********************************
    
         When daylight broke, Jenna quietly, yet quickly climbed down from the
    
    tree, with Cubbi following closely behind.  "Who were they?"  Cubbi asked
    
    her.
    
         Jenna did even act like she had heard the question.  "We need to get
    
    going," she said.
    
         "Jenna!" Cubbi cried, exasperated.  He walked up and took hold of her
    
    arm. "Talk to me!"
    
         "Let go!" she yelled and Cubbi obliged. She straightened the strap of
    
    her sack on her arm and began walking away, much to Cubbi's annoyance.  He
    
    ran up to her again, but made no move to touch her.
    
        "Please, Jenna," he said, "Why won't you ever really talk to me?  Who
    
    were those things we saw last night?"  
    
      
    
    
    
         "Why do you want to know?"
    
         "Because how do I know what I'm up against here if you won't talk?" he
    
    responded, "How can I protect you?"
    
         "I never asked for your protection," she said in return, "nor do I need
    
    it.  I didn't even ask you to come along."
    
         Cubbi stopped walking, dead in his tracks. "No, you didn't," he said
    
    softly.
    
         She turned around to look at him and saw the pain in his eyes.  "Oh,
    
    I'm sorry Cubbi," she apologized, "I shouldn't have said those things.  I was
    
    just so upset over what happened."
    
         "I understand, I guess," he replied, "But you've been so secretive.  I
    
    just wanted you to answer me straight, just one time."
    
         She paused for a moment, before walking back to him.  "You really want
    
    to know?" she asked.
    
         "Yes," he answered.
    
         Taking a deep breath and exhaling it slowly, she raised her eyes to
    
    look at him directly.  "The robed woman, calls herself 'Bianca the Dragon
    
    Priestess'," she began, "But no one really knows how true that is."
    
         "You mean no one is sure if she really is a Priestess?" questioned
    
    Cubbi.
    
          "I mean no one is sure if she's even human," Jenna replied, "She's
    
    been following me for some time now."
    
         "Why?"
    
         "She keeps saying something about needing more magic."
    
         "There was a sorceress like that back home," Cubbi said, "Lady Bane."
    
          "Trust me," Jenna insisted, "She's worse than this Lady Bane
    
    character."
    
         Cubbi thought that was a strange thing to say, especially since she
    
    hadn't even seen Lady Bane, at least to his knowledge, but he didn't
    
    comment.  He wanted her to finish her story.
    
         "The two creatures are of Bianca's own magical invention," she
    
    continued, "She calls them Zargs.  Something like a dragon and dog mixed
    
    together.  They help her track down things; like me."
    
         "What about the other creature?" Cubbi asked.
    
         "She is called Brontaine, although I'm not sure if that's what she is
    
    or if it's her name," Jenna replied, "I'm not sure if she's the only
    
    lizard-person that works for Bianca, but she's the only one I've ever seen. 
    
    She acts something like a guard to protect her 'priestess'."
    
         "You say they're after magic," Cubbi stated.  Then he remember he had
    
    the Great Book, the very thing that Lady Bane had always been after.  "Do
    
    you think she knows we have the Great Book?"
    
         To his amazement, Jenna looked at him quizzically.  She has to know
    
    what the Great Book is, he thought to himself, nomadic or not nomadic. She
    
    has to know.  "I don't know," Jenna said at last, "She was following me
    
    before I met up with you."
    
         "She was following you're whole clan, wasn't she?" Cubbi asked.
    
         "In a way," she replied, a bit surprised, "That's why I have to make it
    
    to Kamargo.  Our leader was taking us there when we found out what she was
    
    up to.  There must be something there that can stop her."
    
        "And if there isn't?"
    
         "Then I don't know what I'll do," Jenna admitted, sadly, "Now, we need
    
    to hurry.  There is only one more obstacle we have to make it through before
    
    we reach Kamargo."
    
         She walked away, and Cubbi, as always, followed just a little bit
    
    behind.  We're going to meet up with that Bianca woman again, I just know
    
    it, Cubbi thought, and I don't know if any magical town will be able to stop
    
    her.
    
    ********************************************
    
         At dusk, they reached the edge of a small town.  Cubbi was amazed
    
    because he had never seen a place quite like this one before.  It was built
    
    into the side of a cliff.  One side of the town was bordered by steep peak,
    
    that looked impossible to scale, and the other side ended in a drop-off that
    
    looked to be several miles deep.  
    
         "How are we going to get around this place?" he asked.
    
          "We're not."
    
          "What? I thought that to get to Kamargo, we had to get past this
    
    town."
    
          Jenna smiled, a bit mischievous. "We do have to get past this town,"
    
    she said, "But we have to through it."
    
          "What?" Cubbi asked again, his eyes growing wide in amazement. "You
    
    can't be serious.  We just can go through the town.  What if we're spotted?"
    
         "There's really no other way," Jenna insisted, "It's too dangerous to
    
    climb the mountain and know one really knows how deep that drop-off is.
    
    Plus, I've done this before." She reached into her bag, pulled out two dark
    
    cloaks, and threw one to Cubbi.  "I always kept a spare in case one got too
    
    dirty or wet or something.  Now I'm glad I was prepared.  We're wear these
    
    cloaks and, when it's night, we'll sneak through the town. Okay?"
    
         "I guess so," Cubbi grudgingly agreed.
    
         "Good," Jenna said, her smile growing wider, as she put on her cloak,
    
    "Now wait here for a moment.  I'll be back in a little bit."
    
         Cubbi nodded and watched her leave.  Once he was gone, he stared into
    
    the rapidly darkening sky.  Who is this girl, he wondered, she knows so
    
    little about our traditions and it's hard to believe that even a nomadic
    
    gummi wouldn't know what the Great Book is. Why is that Dragon Priestess
    
    following her?  Her story makes sense, but I just don't believe her.  Cubbi
    
    was so wrapped up in his own thoughts he didn't hear Jenna return until she
    
    tapped him on the shoulder.
    
         He jumped slightly, but tried to hide it.  Then he noticed that she was
    
    carrying a pie in her hands.  "Where did you get that?" he asked in
    
    amazement.
    
         "From the town," she calmly answered.
    
         "You stole it?"
    
         "No," she insisted, "I paid for it."  As if to prove her story
    
    truthful, she reached into a pocket of her dress and pulled out a handful of
    
    coins.
    
         Cubbi couldn't speak for a moment he was so surprised.  A gummi bear
    
    with money! He had never heard of such a thing.  "Where did you get the
    
    money?"
    
         "You sure are suspicious all of a sudden," Jenna declared, a bit angry,
    
    "I was able to sell a few belonging a while back.  I wore the cloak and
    
    pretended I was a child. That's how I got the money.  I left some on the
    
    windowsill where this pie was cooling. The family will be able to buy 2 or 3
    
    pies with the money I left."
    
         This satisfied Cubbi as being the truth, but he was still amazed. 
    
    However, he managed a smile, which she returned.  The two dug into the pie,
    
    which just happened to be Cubbi's favorite: cherry. By the time it was dark
    
    enough to leave, the pan was empty and their stomachs were full.
    
         "Ready?" Jenna asked.
    
         "Yeah," Cubbi replied, but he was still unsure if he would ever be
    
    ready.
    
          Jenna nodded and they silently made their way to town.  It was eerily
    
    silent.  All the houses were shut tight and no one was about.  Cubbi was
    
    relieved as he glanced around at the quiet street.  Unfortunately, he should
    
    have been looking where he was going.
    
         All at once he tripped over a loose stone in the street.  Before he
    
    could think, he cried out and tried to catch himself by grabbing a nearby
    
    cart.  Instead of stopping his fall, the cart, which had been a bit top
    
    heavy , fell with him, it's contents crashing to the ground. Jenna spun 
    
    around, horrified, as the townspeople began to wake.  She ran back 
    
    and grabbed Cubbi by the arm. "Come on," she whispered, urgently.
    
         Cubbi needed no more encouragement.  They ran quickly, as the doors to
    
    the homes began to open, their occupants dressed in nightclothes and candles
    
    in their hands.  "What was that?" someone asked.
    
         "Must be some sort of animal," said another.
    
          Luckily for Cubbi and Jenna, no one noticed the two dark figures
    
    hurrying away.  Silently and swiftly they ran.  Finally, they stopped when
    
    the town was no longer in view.  All at once, Jenna burst out laughing.
    
         "What is it?" Cubbi asked.
    
         "What is that?" she questioned in response, "The fourth or fifth time
    
    you've tripped since we've been traveling?"
    
         "Third," he replied.
    
         "Sorry I'm laughing," she apologized, "But I was just thinking that you're 
    
    not exactly graceful."
    
         He started to reply back, but began laughing himself.  "I guess not,"
    
    he admitted.  Both of them continued laughing.  Cubbi was glad to hear her
    
    laugh.  He had never heard her before, and her laugh was melodious in a way.
    
         "I'm glad you two are enjoying yourselves," an icy voice said from the
    
    shadows.
    
         Both gummies whirled toward the voice and watched in horror as Bianca
    
    the Dragon Priestess emerged from the darkness.  Brontaine stepped out, just
    
    behind Bianca, and the two Zargs stayed to either side of their mistress'
    
    feet. Bianca's lips, which was about the only portion of her face that was
    
    visible in the dim light, curled into a cruel smile.  "Now what do we have
    
    here?" she asked in her frigid tone.
    
         Cautiously, Cubbi slipped off the knapsack that held the Great Book.
    
    Suddenly, he handed it to Jenna, who was too surprised to refuse, and pushed
    
    her towards the dark forest.  "Run!" he yelled, and turned back to face the
    
    woman who stood before him.  He knew that he really had no chance against
    
    these odds.  He knew no magic and he had no gummi berry juice.  The secret
    
    of making had died with Sunni.
    
         Bianca's evil smile grew wider.  "So brave," she said, "but it really
    
    doesn't matter.  This won't change a thing."  She motioned with her right
    
    hand, and both Zargs started toward Cubbi, growling.  Cubbi stood his
    
    ground, but he knew this might be the end of him.
    
         All at once, a ball of light erupted, brighter than the sun.  Cubbi was
    
    blinded, momentarily, and when he could see again, he couldn't believe his
    
    eyes.  Another figure floated above them, waves of light pulsating from her
    
    delicate body.  She wore a long robe, like Bianca, but her's was soft brown
    
    in color.  A few strands of black hair escaped the hood of the robe and
    
    floated about the woman's head.
    
         "The Unknown Sorceress!" Brontaine yelled, unsheathing her sword, but
    
    making no move toward the floating figure.
    
         Bianca's smile turned into a grimace of pure anger.  "You won't always
    
    be able to stop me!" she yelled, pointing at The Unknown Sorceress, "You
    
    hear me! I will win!" In a burst of blood-red light, the Dragon Priestess
    
    and her reptilian comrades disappeared. 
    
         Cubbi watched the floating figure, realizing that no doubt this strange
    
    woman had saved his life, but he was still couldn't bring himself to trust
    
    her.  He jumped when a hand touched his arms and turned around to see Jenna
    
    standing there.  He looked back and saw that the image of The Unknown
    
    Sorceress was fading, but she could still be seen.  Finally, she faded into
    
    nothingness.
    
         "We'd better get going," Jenna said, "Kamargo is just ahead."
    
         "Who was that?" Cubbi asked, still in shock.
    
         "Well, Bianca called her 'The Unknown Sorceress'," Jenna replied,
    
    "She's shown up a few times before.  I think her and Bianca have been
    
    fighting over something.  I hope she's protecting me, because she appears to
    
    be more powerful than even Bianca."
    
         "You don't know anymore about her?"
    
         "Cubbi, if more was known about her I don't think she would be called
    
    The Unknown Sorceress," Jenna said, "Now, let's go.  It's nearly sunrise."
    
         Cubbi knew that Jenna knew more, despite what she said, but didn't want
    
    to argue.  He knew there were supposed to part ways at Kamargo, but he
    
    wanted to get a look at the city first.
    
    *****************************************
    
         The sun had risen, and was guiding their way onward with its golden
    
    beams.  Cubbi was still confused over the earlier confrontation with Bianca,
    
    but he was also excited.  He couldn't help but wonder what secrets Kamargo
    
    held.
    
         Jenna stopped, all at once, and looked around as if puzzled.  She
    
    pulled out her map and studied it, the look of confusion remaining on her
    
    face.  She looked around again, and shook her head.
    
         "What is it?" asked Cubbi.
    
         "According to map, Kamargo should be right here," Jenna responded, "But
    
    I don't see anything."
    
         Cubbi walked up behind her and didn't see anything but more forest.  He
    
    was beginning to think they must of misread the map, when, suddenly, the
    
    Earth beneath him seemed to open up and he felt himself falling.  His trip
    
    downward was not a long one, but when he landed and opened his eyes, he was
    
    shocked by what he saw.  It was like paradise; a perfect world hidden
    
    beneath the imperfect one.  It wasn't dark, like a cave, but it seemed that
    
    this world had its own sun that illuminated and nurtured all that grew.  A
    
    forest, as lush and beautiful as any he had ever seen, spread before him and
    
    just to the edge, a unicorn stood watching him.  He examined the creature
    
    intently.  It's mane was an array of different colors, and it's hooves and
    
    horn glimmered like they were made of pure gold.  It pawed the ground a bit
    
    before going back to eating and Cubbi was amazed for it didn't even seem
    
    afraid of him.
    
         "Cubbi!" Jenna yelled from above, "Are you okay?
    
         "You have to come down here!" he yelled back, "You have to see this
    
    place!"
    
         "What do you mean?"
    
         "I've found it!" he yelled in response, "I've found Kamargo!"
    
         "What?" she asked in amazement, "I'll be right down."
    
         She jumped down into the hole and landed on her feet, amazing Cubbi
    
    with her agility.  As soon as she looked around, her eyes grew wider and her
    
    smile became almost as bright as the sun.  "This is it!" she yelled, "Look
    
    there are the stone columns and everything." Cubbi looked deep into the
    
    forest and, rising just above the trees, there were four smooth stone
    
    columns, shining in the sun.
    
         "Just lovely, isn't it," a frigid voice behind them stated. For the
    
    second time on this journey, Jenna and Cubbi whirled around to see Bianca
    
    the Dragon Priestess.
    
         This was the first time Cubbi had gotten a good look at Bianca.  She
    
    was a tall woman, with a proud bearing, and the looks of an aristocrat.  Her
    
    hair was golden blonde and her facial features were delicate.  Despite the
    
    fact her hood hung low, it was still possible to see her icy blue eyes
    
    staring at them, evilly.
    
         "Where are your reptile friends?" Cubbi asked, determined not to show
    
    that he was afraid.
    
         "How nice of you to notice they were missing," Bianca sneered, "They'll
    
    be touched.  However, right now they're guarding the entrance to make sure
    
    that The Unknown Sorceress won't be able to show up unannounced."
    
         "Are you sure of that?" another voice announced.  Both Bianca and Cubbi
    
    looked up to see The Unknown Sorceress floating above them.  Despite the
    
    light, Cubbi couldn't make out any more of her features than he had the
    
    first time.  She floated down to the ground, in front of Cubbi, facing
    
    Bianca.
    
         "How did you get here?!?" the dragon priestess demanded, "How do you
    
    always know where I'm going to be?"
    
         In response, the sorceress pulled back the hood of her robe.  Because
    
    he was behind her, Cubbi couldn't see what she was revealing, but it
    
    startled Bianca.
    
         "You!" she gasped, "But I didn't think.....I mean.  Why would you come
    
    up with such a disguise?"
    
         "You know as well as I do that I'm more powerful than you," came the
    
    reply, "but I had never used my magic as much.  You was not afraid of me,
    
    but I have a surprise for you.  I have been practicing my powers.  I used my
    
    identity of The Unknown Sorceress to frighten you.  It worked quite well."
    
         "You never frightened me," Bianca insisted, "I just didn't want to
    
    fight a sorceress who kept challenging me for some reason, unknown to me.  I
    
    was trying to stick to my original plan, you know."
    
          "I know. Believe me, I know."
    
         "But now, there's no reason to fight," Bianca continued, smiling a bit,
    
    "I know who you are, and you know me.  We could call a truce and join up
    
    together.  After all, together we have more power than this world has ever
    
    seen."
    
         "Together we would have more power than has ever been known," The
    
    Unknown Sorceress agreed, "But after what you put me through, I would have
    
    to be crazy to believe you now want us to join together.  Once, long ago, I
    
    would have gladly accepted a truce and allowed for each of us to go our
    
    separate ways.  But not now."
    
         "Then, I guess you know where that leaves us."
    
         "I've known for a long time."
    
          They stood for a moment staring at each other, as if each was waiting
    
    for the other to make the first move.  As if taking the initiative, Bianca
    
    brought her right hand up, palm facing forward.  "I will not be defeated!"
    
    she cried as a burst of bright blue light shot from her hand.
    
         The Unknown Sorceress jumped up into the air, the light ball missing
    
    her by several feet.  It stuck the ground only a few inches from Cubbi's
    
    feet.  I should move out of the line of fire, he thought, but never made a
    
    move to get out of the way.
    
         The Unknown Sorceress crossed her arms in front of her face and a pure
    
    white beam shot out.  Bianca jumped away, as the beam struck the ground,
    
    causing several chunks of dirt and rocks to fly up,  hitting the dragon
    
    priestess in the face.  Bianca grabbed her cheek, which had been cut and was
    
    bleeding slightly, her face a twisted mask of rage. She turned her eyes
    
    toward Cubbi.  "Maybe I should just get rid of your little friend here," she
    
    said.
    
         Cubbi took a few steps helplessly back as Bianca raised her hands above
    
    her head.  A red ball of light began to form, then to move as if it had a
    
    life of its own.  Cubbi watched in amazed horror, as it took the shape of a
    
    dragon, yet it's body was still made of the burning red light. Stretching
    
    its fiery wings, it flew up into the air and dived directly towards Cubbi.
    
         The Unknown Sorceress suddenly appeared in front of Cubbi, protecting
    
    him.  "Listen to me, fire demon," she said, sternly, "I am the strongest
    
    being, which makes me your master."  The creature faltered for a moment.
    
         "No, I am your master!" Bianca screamed, "I rule all the dragons and
    
    reptiles of the Earth!"
    
         "I am the one who is the most powerful of all," The Unknown Sorceress
    
    calmly stated, "That is clear.  You must do my bidding."
    
         The creature screeched, as if momentarily confused, then turned back
    
    and dived towards Bianca.
    
         "You can't do this!" she cried out, but made no effort to move out of
    
    it's path.  In a burst of light the creature struck the priestess.  Bianca
    
    was knocked to the ground, stunned, her previously white robe singed to a
    
    dirty gray.  Finally she struggled up into a sitting position. 
    
         The Unknown Sorceress bowed her head as a soft white light began to
    
    envelop her body. "Listen," she said softly, "Do you hear the voices?"
    
         "What?" cried Bianca, but even as she did, the soft murmur of voices
    
    grew audible.  Even Cubbi could here them.
    
         "These are the voices of my people," the sorceress continued, "Struck
    
    down by greed, but they are not here to seek revenge."
    
         "But there are my people too!" yelled Bianca.
    
          "No, Ellistia," said the sorceress (Why was she calling her Ellistia
    
    if her name's Bianca, Cubbi wondered.), "There are not your people.  Not
    
    only did you turn away, but you killed them."
    
         Bianca's (or was it Ellistia's) eyes grew wide.  "What are you going to
    
    do?" she asked, fear creeping into her voice.
    
         "As I said before, we do not seek revenge, but you must be stopped. 
    
    Your evil must end here." As soon as she had finished speaking, she thrust
    
    both her hands forward, and the white light rushed forward and enveloped the
    
    dragon priestess.  Cubbi could hear her crying out, as if in pain, but the
    
    light was so bright he couldn't see what was happening.  The light grew into
    
    a bright ball, that seem to suddenly implode revealing two figures in the
    
    center.  The first was dressed as the priestess, but the face was old and
    
    the hair white.  She fell back upon the ground, obviously dead, and her body
    
    slowly faded from sight.
    
         The second figure was a small creature with tiny see-through wings. 
    
    She had the same blonde hair and blue eyes as Bianca.  She seemed be awaking
    
    from a long sleep the way she slowly opened her eyes while shaking her head. 
    
    She looked down at her own form, a mixture of anger and surprise crossing
    
    across her face.  "What have you done to me?" she cried out.
    
         "I've forced you to return to your own form," The Unknown Sorceress
    
    said, "And returned your powers to the same level as they were before you
    
    begin destroying my people."
    
         "You can't do that!" the small creature insisted.
    
         "I did," stated The Unknown Sorceress simply, "Now, I'll send you away
    
    where you can't cause any more trouble."  The creature started to argue, but
    
    with a wave of the sorceress' hand, the creature disappeared from view.
    
         Cubbi was amazed at what had just happened and turned around to see
    
    what Jenna would say, but was amazed to find she was nowhere in sight.  He
    
    started to call for her, when the Unknown Sorceress turned around to face
    
    him.  All he had to do was to look into her eyes and he knew.
    
         "Jenna?" he asked, but he already knew it was she.
    
          "Yes, Cubbi," she admitted, "I guess you're really confused by all
    
    that's just happened."
    
         "That's one way of putting it."
    
         She walked over to a large rock and sat down.  "It's time for me to
    
    tell you the truth.  I should have a long time ago, but I just didn't know
    
    how.  Now, it's all over, and it won't put you in any danger to know the
    
    truth."  She took a deep breath.
    
         "What is the truth?" Cubbi asked.
    
         "I'm not a gummi or a sorceress," she began, "not really.  I'm a
    
    Jypsian Pixie."
    
         "What?"
    
         "A Jypsian Pixie," she repeated, "We were magical creatures that came
    
    from right here at Kamargo.  There were thousands of us. We had all the
    
    magic of the Earth, but we shared it equally among ourselves.  It was
    
    balanced with a sort of equilibrium.  If a Jypsian died, our powers would
    
    all increase a bit and if one was born, all our powers would decrease
    
    slightly, so basically, we all had the same amount of power all the time."
    
         "For some reason, I suppose curiosity, we decided to venture out into
    
    the world, away from the sanctuary of Kamargo.  We did have enough magic to
    
    protect ourselves and we could also take on magical disguises so that we
    
    could look human or anything else we wanted.  However, our powers were
    
    limited so that we could only hold the disguise for a few hours.  As we
    
    traveled, we broke into small groups and separated.  We didn't think it was
    
    too dangerous because we did have a link to one another, because of our
    
    magic, even when we were far apart."  She paused for a moment, as if letting
    
    all the information sink in.
    
         "I'm not exactly sure how or even why," she continued, "But a Jypsian
    
    named Ellistia became enthralled by humans and wanted to be human.  She met
    
    up with an old priestess called Bianca the Dragon Priestess.  Bianca had
    
    grown quite old, despite the fact she used magic to keep her looking her
    
    young and to keep her healthy.  She knew that the people still respected her
    
    and counted on her, but she was just so tired.  She knew that her time on
    
    Earth should have been up long before.  Anyway, somehow she met up with
    
    Ellistia, who was disguised as a human.  She quickly realized that Ellistia
    
    wasn't human and confronted the Jypsian about.  Ellistia confessed and told
    
    Bianca of her desire to be human."
    
         "Bianca took pity on Ellistia and decided to make her a deal.  Bianca
    
    was sick of being the Dragon Priestess and Ellistia wanted to be human.  She
    
    gave Ellistia her body and, in a sense, died.  This way Ellistia was able to
    
    be human and there still was a dragon priestess for people to respect. 
    
    Ellistia loved the way she was treated, and she felt that it was because of
    
    her power, so she wanted more power.  She began searching high and low and
    
    became more and more obsessed with power.  Greed took over her entire life,
    
    changing the way Ellistia looked at things.  Then Ellistia realized that if
    
    she destroyed the rest of the Jypsian Pixies, she would be the most powerful
    
    creature on Earth."
    
          Cubbi interrupted her.  "You mean, she decided to kill her own people
    
    to obtain power?  That's crazy."
    
         "I agree, but it obviously made sense to Ellistia," Jenna explained,
    
    "but remember, I only heard this story second-hand, so I'm not sure how
    
    accurate all the details are.  Anyway, she began convincing people that we
    
    were evil and suddenly hordes of humans began to track us down to kill us. 
    
    I don't know how many that Bianca killed by her own hand, but I've heard she
    
    had no mercy.  Eventually, only our group was left alive.  Now, we didn't
    
    know what was going on, but we knew that others were dying.  Bianca came to
    
    us, in her Jypsian form and told us she knew what was happening to our
    
    people."
    
         Cubbi shook his head. "I guess she did know," he said, bitterly. 
    
         "More than any of our group could have guessed," Jenna replied, "We had
    
    been heading to Kamargo with the map I was using.  It was our home and we
    
    thought it might protect us.  Plus, if we had to, we could give up our magic
    
    here.  We could return it to the Earth."
    
         "That's what you're planning on doing here isn't it?" questioned Cubbi.
    
         She nodded her head.  "Of course we believed Ellistia because we had no
    
    reason to doubt her.  She told us to meet her in an old barn deep in the
    
    forest at sunset and that a few others of her group would be there as well. 
    
    We agreed of course.  As sunset approached, I was hurrying towards the old
    
    barn when I found a small child in the woods, crying.  Using a human form, I
    
    approached her and asked what was wrong.  She explained that she had been
    
    chasing a butterfly and had gotten lost.  I knew it would make me late for
    
    the meeting, but I couldn't just leave the child.  I led her back to the
    
    town and then I hurried on to the barn.  It was dark when I was nearing the
    
    place and I smelled the smoke.  I ran up to where the barn had been and only
    
    found the smoldering ashes."
    
         "Wait," Cubbi said, "You mean she burned them."
    
         "Yes," Jenna replied, sadly, "She got them to all go inside and then
    
    cast a spell so they couldn't leave.  With them all trapped, she set the
    
    barn on fire.  I had escaped by mere accident."
    
         "If things had gone as they usually had, that would mean that me and
    
    Ellistia, who was now calling herself only Bianca the Dragon Priestess,
    
    would have all the power of the Jypsians equally divided between us, but
    
    that's not what happened.  For some reason only about one-fourth of the
    
    power went to her, and three-fourths went to me."
    
        "Do you know why?" Cubbi asked.
    
         "I have some ideas, but I'm not sure. I think that's it's either
    
    because Jenna was in a human form when she killed the others or the very
    
    fact she was actually killing her own people.  All I know is that I had more
    
    power.  Ellistia was outraged and became determined to kill me.  I was more
    
    powerful, but I had never used my magic that much before, so I was scared. 
    
    I decided to disguise myself.  Do you know what magical conductibility is?"
    
         "No," he replied, "What is it?"
    
         "Magical conductibility is the your ability to be able to use and
    
    perform magic.  It's determined at birth.  It's why some people do not have
    
    to train hard to be great sorcerers and others can train for years and not
    
    be able to get past the simplest light spell.  A Jypsian can see the magical
    
    conductibility of others so that's why I couldn't disguise myself as a
    
    human.  My magical conductibility was too high for any human to ever
    
    ascertain.  However, a gummi's conductibility is much greater than a
    
    human's.  I would still have a high conductibility, even for a gummi, but
    
    not an impossible one.  I lived for a bit in the very gummi city you were
    
    heading to and I learned about the 'gummi way of life'.  Because of my great
    
    power, I was able to hold the form for as long as I needed and they were so
    
    nice to me.  I learned a little bit about the culture, and at night I
    
    practiced my magic.  Then I felt that Ellistia was coming for me, so I
    
    traveled far from the city, in the opposite direction of Kamargo ,until I
    
    found her.  I 'introduced' her to The Unknown Sorceress, because I knew that
    
    she would be afraid of her.  Yet, I saw she wasn't giving up, as I had 
    
    hoped, so I decided to leave and go to Kamargo.  I'd rather give up my power
    
    than to give it to her.  I came back to the knoll and looked at the city and
    
    then, I sat at the stream for a moment, dipping my feet in to cool off. 
    
    That's when you came to the clearing. Now, I have been honest with you, be
    
    honest with me.  Why did you want to come with me?"
    
         "I was so lonely when the others died," he admitted, "and when I came
    
    upon you, I saw the same type of look in your eyes.  I thought that perhaps
    
    you could understand what I was feeling.  Plus, I thought you were so
    
    beautiful."
    
          She looked at him, surprised, before dropping her eyes again.  "It's
    
    time for me to do what I came here for."  She got up and walked deeper into
    
    the forest as Cubbi watched.  He was so disappointed in the ending of this
    
    journey.  He finally understood her, but now they were probably going to
    
    part ways.  "Cubbi," she said softly from behind him, after a few minutes.
    
         He turned around and he couldn't believe his eyes.  There stood Jenna,
    
    as a gummi.  "But I though you were giving up your magic," he said, amazed.
    
         "Well," she began, "I had always heard that whatever form you were in
    
    when you gave up your magic would be the form you would keep forever  I was
    
    hoping that would be the truth and it seems it is."
    
        "You mean..."
    
         "I may have been born a Jypsian Pixie, but I'm now I'm as much a gummi
    
    bear as you are."
    
         Without thinking he rushed over and embraced her, but she didn't
    
    resist.  "Wait," he said, stepping back, "What about Ellistia? Will she be a
    
    problem now that you don't have your magic?"
    
         "Don't worry about her," Jenna replied, "She won't be able to do much
    
    because she only has a very small portion of magic."
    
         "That's great!" he exclaimed.
    
         "Now, let's go back to the city," she said.
    
         "I've got a better idea," he stated, "How would you like to go home, to
    
    my real home.  I have a feeling we belong there, together."
    
         "I'd love to." she said, smiling warmly.
    
    ************************************************
    
         The trip back seemed to take forever, but, finally, they made it back
    
    to the glen.  Cubbi hadn't been gone quite a year and the only real
    
    difference was a thick layer of dust coating everything.  "What do you
    
    think?" he asked Jenna, as she looked around.
    
         "It's beautiful!" she exclaimed.
    
         "We can continue on with the traditional Gummi ways," he said, "Well
    
    most of them.  We still need to tend the gummi berry bushes, but I don't
    
    know how to make the juice."
    
         "I do."
    
         "What?" he asked.
    
         "I do," she repeated, "That's one of the things that I learned in the
    
    gummi city I was staying in.  I know the secret of how to make gummi berry
    
    juice."
    
        "This is great!" he exclaimed.
    
         "I'm glad you're happy," she said, smiling.
    
         Cubbi returned the smile.  The place no longer felt haunted, but he
    
    could feel the spirits of all the others there, smiling and welcoming him
    
    back.  I've returned, he thought to himself, I'm home.
    
    **The End**


End file.
